Mayor of Tokyo tries to ease ties in Beijing

The governor of Tokyo said yesterday on a visit to Beijing that he hoped his trip to the capital would help mend strained ties between China and Japan.

"Relations between Japan and China are tense and there's great significance in the people of Beijing asking me to come here," Governor Yoichi Masuzoe told reporters after arriving for a three-day visit.

He said improving ties would be a step-by-step process.

"You can't do everything immediately, but there are a number of things we can do: for instance, meet about environmental problems, co-ordinate exchanges between students studying abroad," he said.

"By adding these things together, we can improve relations between both countries."

Analysts said last week that the mayor's visit to the capital might open an alternative channel of communication between the two countries.